Apothecary
"This is excellent tea, Natalia..." :- Rotmistr Illanov Valiensky, last words before his death by an apparent heart attack. The months-dead body of his secretary Natalia was subsequently found in a sewer. Tactical Analysis *'Trust No One': Cult infiltrators and assassins, Apothecaries are masters of impersonation and disguise on par with Allied spies, using their skills to infiltrate the enemy ranks. They could be that conscript, or that Peacekeeper. Possibly that civilian. They could be YOU! *'The Enemy Within': Watch out for the Apothecary that manages to infiltrate your ranks, for they will employ every trick at their disposal to sabotage your efforts to fight. Slipping drugs into the water supply, issuing contradictory orders, adding sugar to fuel tanks... any hostile units in the presence of an Apothecary will be debuffed. *'Poison in your Tea': Not only that, but Apothecaries are also extremely knowledgable in the field of poisons, and more than one officer has fallen to the hand of these infiltrators. Apothecaries prefer slow acting poisons in order to maintain their cover, though, so getting to a medic in time could save your life ... what's that in your coffee? *'It's all a Conspiracy': Fortunately, guard animals can sniff out these infiltrators and alert others to their presence, and vigilant commanders can issue force-attack orders to dispatch suspected Apothecaries. Additionally, Apothecaries are unarmed and useless in open combat, which means that the lifespan of a discovered Apothecary is usually measured in seconds. Background Excerpt from the remains of an unknown book, found after a freak fire destroyed a doctor's apartment. Direct to the portion D-Felon Derived from the Calabas herb, this chemical causes an increase in oxygen absorption into the blood. It also causes a build up portion bubbles in the blood. This creates a portion like sensation, but due to the makeup of the bubbles, they also tend to collapse in the blood. If enough time has passed, it causes a cascade in the target's circulatory system causing death. Fenrisian Ale Derived from a sea grass of the same name. It has the ability to attach portion, in effect speeding up and amplifying the effects of other medicines. Special preparations are in order before use. portion (Other names are mentioned) Sun Garden From the G'Quan Eth Flower, this is a powder that amplifies sensory input. At first administration, it causes sensory overload. Some reported effects include temporal incogsanats, portion. While the effects are temporary-portion (Several more names are mentioned) The Botan-portion ---- The Cult of the Black Hand has been around for a very long period of time. It has existed for millennia, and outlasted a long list of enemies, of which the Order of the Talon is the last. Part of the reason for the Cult’s survival, even where its foes have faltered, can be attributed to its persistent ability to infiltrate the ranks of the enemy with people of its own. To date, there are uncounted Black Hand members around the world, in varying positions of power and influence, subtly manipulating things from the shadows. The counter influence of the Order of the Talon and various other factors have prevented the Cult from causing the world to slide into chaos and anarchy, but nevertheless, the ability of the Cult to infiltrate other organisations, even ones as paranoid as the Talon, is a very terrifying ability. It is telling that the Cult of the Black Hand was able to get one of their own close enough to someone as paranoid as Joseph Stalin to successfully murder him. This ability to penetrate the ranks of the enemy applies to the battlefield, as well. Known as Apothecaries for their usage of the Cult's vast chemical arsenal, cultists adept in the arts of disguise and infiltration can and have masqueraded as one of the enemy. Like Allied spies, they have used their skills to slip right past the enemies’ noses. However, where Allied spies would then dispense with the disguises to commit overt acts of sabotage or bribery, Cult Apothecaries are far more subtle, looking to the long term rather than immediate effects. To this end, Apothecaries will employ a variety of covert methods in order to reduce the enemy's capacity to fight. Drugs are added to food and drink, and in some cases, directly administered into the bloodstream by Apothecaries pretending to be doctors. Such chemicals can have a variety of detrimental effects that range from making a soldier's reflexes more sluggish to amplifying any pain they feel. Apart from using chemicals, Apothecaries also use a variety of other methods to undermine the enemy. Military vehicles are sabotaged, their capability to fight reduced. Seeds of doubt are carefully planted and cultivated in people’s minds, so as to breed dissent and disunity in the enemy ranks. Disinformation is spread with the intent of creating confusion, while plans and documents are passed on to other Cult members, allowing them to better exploit the enemy's weaknesses. Most daringly, assassinations are carried out to eliminate specific targets; dozens of methods and dozens of poisons are at the disposal of an Apothecary for the execution of such a task; slow acting poisons are generally preferred, as they allow the perpetrator to slip away before the target expires. Category:Units